the rhythm of fire
by anachronist-mirror
Summary: The funeral was only part of the aftermath. [post-canon, slight SaiGenos]


**A/N:** Set post-canon for both series. Uses the fan theory that Dabi is a Todoroki. Slight Sai/Genos towards the end.

* * *

"Y'know, brat, I thought you were joking when you said you'd become a cyborg to get rid of your Quirk."

Genos looked looked up to find a black-haired man smirking at him in amusement. Burnt skin covered the lower half of his face and neck, held in place by exposed surgical staples.

He remembered the incident that gave him those scars - an argument with _that man_ over his treatment of mom and Shouto that escalated into a full-on fight.

His older brother had left on his own accord after ending up in the hospital, the whole thing swept under the rug as a "training accident." Genos himself was forcibly evicted for being an "ungrateful, rebellious boy" when the evidence he began collecting was discovered, and ended up living with one of his mother's cousins overseas until their untimely death at the hands of the Mad Cyborg.

Significant turns in his life began and ended the same way until he met Saitama: in seas of fire, the past turned ash and ruin cradled in his hands.

Fubuki, in those moments when she dared call her older brother for advice on Shouto before Genos lost contact after the attack, never disclosed what exactly went on in the household after that, and kept on insisting for her older brother to stay where he was - safe and far, far away from an iron fist with a searing temper.

Genos understood her fear. Growing up, Endeavor's outbursts were terrifying, his large form an inferno in a visceral manifestation of rage.

Fubuki and Shouto - they endured. And towards the end, they were no longer alone.

News of the rookie hero Shouto and his former classmates reached the continent upon their takedown of the League of Villains, and Genos had spent several months scouring the internet to catch up in between daily routine and calls from the Hero Association.

Saitama noticed, of course, in his own fashion, wondering aloud if it was even possible for Genos to get indigestion.

"No, Sensei. It's -" Genos paused, thoughts whirring as he came up with a summary the situation that had twenty words or less. "My younger brother from before - he's a pro hero now."

That was as far as he got before his throat tightened, and the rest of his words died in his mouth.

"Hm." Saitama was quiet, taking his time chewing a bite of katsudon. He swallowed. "You plan on visiting?"

"I don't know if word of the attack reached them," Genos said. "News from the continent rarely gets out. If it did, they might think I'm already dead."

Saitama shrugged. "You'll find out when you get there. 'Sides - you mentioned your kid brother's also a hero, yeah? I'm sure the two of you will have a lot to talk about."

Genos' teeth worried his lower lip. The synthetic skin did not break. "If it's not too bold a request - Sensei, will you join me if I go?"

"Sure. Yeah." Saitama smiled. "Been a while since I travelled that far."

Dr. Kuseno had been equally accepting, if not grim, clasping his shoulder in silent support when Genos finally requested to retrieve his original backup memory files - the ones he'd shut out to concentrate on his hunt for the Mad Cyborg.

Singular focus towards a goal - it was a trait he and Shouto shared with that man. Genos would have fully purged his data banks of him, had it not been for Dr. Kuseno's intervention.

"You will need these memories, no matter how detestable or painful they are," the Doctor said in those early days while Genos was adjusting to his new body, exhausted more often than not at the ongoing neural reconfiguration. The program subroutines he used, at the end of the day, were but electric mimicries of organic synapses. "Otherwise, you will never find a way to be truly free from them."

Genos never truly understood until now, standing outside the gates of the temple that held Endeavor's wake. People often said house fires were devastating because they destroyed everything, but they'd return to the ruins in the aftermath to search for anything of personal value left unscathed. Anything that would help piece together the hows and whys of loss and life.

He hadn't gone to greet Fubuki or Shouto yet - not with his old name, at least. As far as the attendees were concerned, the Demon Cyborg was present as a delegate of the Hero Association from the continent. His blond hair, mechanical eyes, and metal arms were a far cry from his younger self: dark-haired, pale-eyed, and skinny. None of his other relatives recognized him.

Not one of them except for, apparently, his older brother.

The former villain's smirk widened, as if he'd guessed his sibling's thoughts, and the stretch of his lower lip was emphasized by the staples lining his cheeks. "Guess I should've known better when you never lightened up - your broody frown's exactly the same as it was. Really too bad you didn't visit when _he_ was alive - he'd probably blow up the house."

"He would've," Genos said tersely, uncrossing his arms to face his brother. He was not under any obligation to explain himself. "It's been a while, aniki."

Dabi chuckled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Haven't thought of myself as that in years, you twit, so you don't have to call me that anymore if you don't want. Not like you can talk either with the revenge quest you went on, Mr. S-Class Hero."

Genos' eyes narrowed. His disappearance and subsequent victory were but minor blips on the news in the series of reports about an anonymous threat's rampage that had reached his hometown, and only Dr. Kuseno and Saitama were aware of Genos' full story. "How did you -"

"Genos?"

Saitama had returned from his trip to the vending machine, carrying two cans of juice in his hand.

"Sensei." Genos let out a breath and gestured at his companion. "This is Dabi, formerly of the League of Villains."

"Huh." Saitama scratched his chin, gaze shifting from Genos, to Dabi, then back to Genos. "Didn't know you knew anyone from that group." Then, to Dabi, "Nice piercings. Why the sunken eyebags look though?"

"Thanks, I guess," the former villain replied, amused. He held up his hand to summon a wisp of black flame to demonstrate, and in that brief moment his face was illuminated with the spectre of an old grudge. "It's part of the theme."

Saitama whistled in appreciation. "Didn't you say your Quirk from before was fire-based, Genos?"

"We're related," Genos admitted reluctantly, to which Dabi snorted. The cyborg shot him an annoyed look and decided to elaborate. "He's my other brother. We were both disowned, after a fashion."

"Ah."

"And that's my cue to leave." Dabi clapped his hand on the cyborg's shoulder, and his touch was warm on the metal. "See you around, brat, Caped Baldy. And, Genos? If you want to visit her - she's living with Fubuki now."

"So." Saitama handed a can of coffee to Genos and sat beside him, their knees touching. It was late in the afternoon, and the bald man had made several more visits to that vending machine. There was a bench along the path to the gate he and Genos hogged to themselves sometime after lunch and a change to more casual attire. From their spot, they could see Endeavor's contemporaries go in and out. Few of them stayed long. "Still planning to watch, or are you gonna say hi?"

Regardless of Genos' decision, they'd be back the following day for the actual service.

"Maybe after tomorrow, Sensei, when they're no longer busy." Genos cradled the cold cylinder in his hands. "It's only after the funeral that things - sink in."

Instead of replying, Saitama slung a careful arm around Genos' shoulders, and brushed his lips on his temple.

Genos pulled his hood up over his head and leaned in, burying his face in the crook of Saitama's neck, and closed his eyes.

It would be a while longer before he truly got over the image of inferno.


End file.
